Welcome toSevern Primary SchoolTogether we learn. Together we grow.

Meet the Governors

In Wales, every state school has a Governing Body, consisting of specified numbers of various categories of governors depending on the type and size of school. Our Governing Body is made up of:-

Parent Governors: parents (ideally of children at the school)

Staff Governors: members of the school staff including the Head Teacher

Local Education Authority( LEA) Governors nominated by the Local Authority

Community Governors: members of the local community (appointed by the rest of the governing body)

What school governors do

School governors lead schools, they don’t manage them. They are there to give a strategic direction to how the school is run; to be critical friends to the school; and to ensure the school is accountable for its actions. Governors discuss and have input on:

School policies, such as discipline, dress, sport, bullying and homework

Long term plans and the future of the school ( School Development Plan)

How the school budget will be spent ( Finances)

How the school will try to reach performance targets ( School Improvement Plan)

Drafting the annual report to parents

Appointment and dismissal of staff including the Head Teacher

Complaints from pupils, staff and parents

Repair and maintenance of school buildings

Use of school premises outside school hours

The Governing Body is lead by the chair who is elected from within its membership although anyone who works in the school can not be the chair. Governors are volunteers and usually serve for 4 years at a time.

A governor’s main task is to attend meetings of the school governing body. These normally take place once a term in the evening. Governors formally report to parents once a year in the annual report to parents. We are keen to hear from parents and friends of the school at anytime so please don’t hesitate to contact us via the website or at school.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Gareth Jones

Below is a list of the current Governing Body of Severn Primary School.

Nick

Wilson

Headteacher

Gareth

Jones

Community (Chair)

Sue

Watts-Peters

Community (Vice Chair)

Zainab

Zaman

Community

Andy

Senior

Community

Iona

Gordon

Local Authority

Christine

Newman

Local Authority

Rachel

Roberts

Parent

Nicole

Tasher

Parent

Gill

Jarman

Staff

Stacey

Dando

Teacher

Menaka

Kodur

Parent

Adam

Johnson

Parent

Karen

Gunning

Observer

Andrew

Jones

Observer

What Is A Governor ?

A school governor is a volunteer who represents those people with a key interest in the school, including parents, staff, the local community and the Local Education Authority (LEA). The school governing body accepts responsibility for everything a school does. It acts as a link between parents, the local community, the LEA and the school itself. A school governor is elected to a four year term of office, although the Headteacher's term is ongoing.

Categories of Governors

Within a school there are various categories of governor, each with a different reason for serving on the governing body. Within our school there are parent, teacher, staff, headteacher, community and LEA governors.

Parent Governors

Parent Governors are elected to a four year term of office to represent the interests of the parents of pupils who currently attend the school. Parent governors are expected to keep in tune with the concerns and opinions of the majority of parents and exercise their best judgement when contributing to the decisions of the governing body.

Teacher Governors

Teacher Governors are elected to represent the interests of the teaching staff of their school. They are free to express their own personal views and exercise their own judgements even if not in line with the majority of teaching staff.

Staff Governors

Staff Governors are elected to respresent the support staff of the school, i.e. all those not in a teaching capacity. Like teaching governors they are free to express their own personal views and exercise their own judgements even if not in line with the majority of support staff.

Headteacher Governors

Headteachers automatically become school governors unless they choose not to be. If this is the case they can still attend governors meetings. While the headteacher reports to the governing body, the headteacher must involve the governors closely in the running of the school.

Community Governors

Community Governors are invited by other governors to join the governing body. They bring their own experience and skills and act as a link with the local community within which they usually live.

LEA Governors

LEA Governors are appointed by the school's Local Education Authority. While an LEA governor may represent the LEA's views; as they are not delegates of the LEA they cannot be mandated by the LEA to take a particular view.

Further information on the different types of governors can be found in Fact Files by viewing the Governors Wales website at -